It is known that hypothalamic hormone or pituitary hormone takes part in a control system of secretion of peripheral hormones. In general, secretion of anterior pituitary hormone is regulated by secretion stimulating hormones or secretion suppressing hormones secreted from its higher center, hypothalamus, or peripheral hormones secreted from the target organs of the respective hormones.
Gonadotropin releasing hormone (hereinafter, abbreviated as GnRH; also, GnRH is referred to as luteinizing hormone releasing hormone; LHRH) is known as a hormone which controls the secretion of sex hormones at the highest position, and regulates the secretion of luteinizing hormone (hereinafter, abbreviated as LH), follicle stimulating hormone (hereinafter, abbreviated as FSH), and sex hormones in the gonads through its specific receptor (hereinafter, abbreviated as GNRH receptor) which is present in anterior pituitary (Horumon to Rinsyo (Hormones and Clinical Medicine), spring extra number, 46, 46-57 (1998)). A specific and selective antagonist to the GnRH receptor is expected to be a drug for preventing and treating sex hormone-dependent diseases (e.g., prostate cancer, breast cancer, endometriosis, uterine fibroid, etc.), since it regulates the action of GnRH and controls the secretion of lower LH, FSH and sex hormones (Horumon to Rinsyo (Hormones and Clinical Medicine), spring extra number, (1998), ibid.; Cancer Res. 1, 293-297 (1941); Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 7100-7104 (1990)).
At present, peptide compounds, cetrorelix (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 85, 1637-1641, 1988) and abarelix (J. Urol. 167, 1670-1674, 2002) are put on the market as GnRH receptor antagonists, and from these information, pharmaceuticals capable of controlling the secretion of sex hormones are also expected as therapeutical agents for benign prostatic hyperplasia (J. Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (1998) 83, 11, 3826-3831).
On the other hand, as non-peptidic compounds having a GNRH receptor antagonistic effect, for example, an uracil derivative, NBI-42902 (J. Med. Chem., 48, 1169-1178, 2005) was under clinical trials, but its development was stopped.
Patent Reference 1 discloses that a propane-1,3-dione derivative has a GnRH receptor antagonistic effect.
(In the formula, A and B are the same or different, each representing optionally substituted aryl or optionally substituted heterocyclic ring; for the details, referred to the above publication.)
However, there is no description of a substituted sulfonyl group (—SO2—R3) as the substituent on the ring A or the ring B or disclosure of specific compounds having such a group.
Further, Patent Reference 2 published after the priority date of the present application discloses that a propane-1,3-dione derivative has a GNRH receptor antagonistic effect.
(In the formula, the ring A represents optionally substituted benzene, optionally substituted pyridine, or thiophene ring, and the ring B represents benzene or thiophene ring; for the details, referred to the above publication.)
However, the structure differs from the compound of the present invention in that the former has a substituent derived from a 1-hydroxyalkyl group on the ring B.
Patent Reference 1: International publication No. 02/02533 pamphlet
Patent Reference 2: International publication No. 05/118556 pamphlet